Writing Transnational, Transpacific, and Global Histories of Japan

This article discusses a selection of six studies drawn from recent groundbreaking or significant works in English-language scholarship on transnational, transpacific, and global histories of Japan. The period under consideration extends over a century from the early modern era before the Meiji Restoration to the 1960s. The article highlights compelling evidence of the growing convergence of the previously separate and distinct fields of research on the following four themes: (1) empire, migration, and settler colonialism, (2) capitalism, (3) indigeneity, and (4) race and state violence. It also points to areas that await further exploration, particularly on such themes as gender, women, and indigeneity.